A computer implemented method for fusing position and range measurements to determine the position of at least one node of a plurality of distributed nodes is disclosed. The method includes (a) measuring the position of at least one node; (b) computing an estimate of the position of the at least one node based on the measured position using a filter that takes account of past estimates of position; (c) receiving an estimate of position of at least a second node; (d) measuring inter-node range to the at least a second node; (e) combining the measured inter-node range with the estimate of position of at least a second node using a second filter that takes account of past estimates of position to generate a refined estimate of the position of the at least one node; and (f) when a change in the position of the at least one node is above a predetermined threshold value, setting the refined estimate of the position of the at least one node to the estimate of the position of the at least one node and repeating (c), (e), and (f).

Distributed iterative multimodal sensor fusion method for improved collaborative localization and navigation

The invention relates to a local position measuring system. In said system a base station is located on a mobile object, whose position is to be determined and a plurality of transponders are distributed around the locality.

System for determining the position of a mobile transceiver in relation to fixed transponders

Die vorliegende Erfindung betrifft ein Verfahren und eine Vorrichtung zur xi, yi, hi - Koordinatenbestimmung einer Anzahl i = 1,...,p von jeweils an einer Position Bi angeordneten Transpondern mit xi, yi, hi gleich Element von R. Die Erfindung zeichnet sich durch Messen von Abstanden rik zwischen den jeweils an einer Position Bi angeordneten Transpondern und einer jeweils an einer Position Pk = (Xk, Yk, Hk) mit k = 1,..., n entlang eines Referenzpfades angeordneten Basisstation mit Xk, Yk, Hk gleich Element von R und Berechnen der Koordinaten der jeweiligen Position Bi anhand der Messergebnisse von rik aus.

Optimierungsverfahren für ein selbsteinmessendes funkortungssystem

Bei einem lokalen Positionsmesssystem ist eine Basisstation an einem mobilen Objekt angeordnet, dessen Position zu bestimmen ist, wahrend eine Vielzahl von Transpondern im Raum verteilt ist.

System zur bestimmung der position eines beweglichen transceivers in bezug auf ortsfeste transponder

The invention relates to a method and device for the xi, yi, and hi coordinate determination of a number i = 1,...,p of transponders located at a position Bi with xi, yi, and hi being equal to the element of R. The invention is characterized in that, by measuring distances rik between transponders located at a position Bi and a base station with Xk, Yk, and Hk being equal to the element of R, said base station being located at a position Pk = (Xk, Yk, Hk) with k = 1,..., n along a reference path, and calculating the coordinates of the respective position Bi based on the measurement results of rik.

Optimization method for a self-calibrating radio-locating system

The Completely Integrated Reference Instrumentation System (CIRIS) is an aircraft inertial navigation system (INS) aided with range and range-rate measurements from precisely surveyed ground transponders. The full-ordered Kalman filter 'truth' model for this system is developed with the goal of increasing the error-estimation accuracy of the CIRIS Kalman filter. The authors present the basic structure of the 127-state 'truth' model Kalman filter. The random bias shaping filter model for the transponder positioon survey-errors and the first order Markov shaping filter model for the atmospheric propagation delays are developed. The full-ordered Kalman filter based on the CIRIS 'truth' model is used to process empirical data from a CIRIS flight. The time histories of selected correlated measurement errors' means, covariances, and range residuals are plotted and analyzed with respect to the filter's estimate of position and velocity errors, as well as the aircraft trajectory. The initial conclusions drawn from these data are presented. >

J.K. Solomon

Papers

Estimation of atmospheric and transponder survey errors with a navigation Kalman filter